🥊 THE ANIK & FLORIAN PODCAST IS BACK ON THE SMOKE — AND EP. 586 DID NOT DISAPPOINT

By Cody Merrow | Fight Bananas | March 9, 2026

Live Producer, The Anik & Florian Podcast | Formerly of MMA Underground & The Pound 4 Pound Podcast Newsletter

BUCKLE UP, Fight Bananas faithful, because Episode 586 of The Anik & Florian Podcast,  now powered by All The Smoke Fight,  was an absolute BANGER from the jump. We’re talking UFC 326 fallout, a midnight phone call that changed a fight card, the future of the BMF belt, Raul Rosas Jr. being an absolutely terrifying 21-year-old, and so much more.

If you haven’t subscribed to the show yet, what in the world are you doing? You can catch it right here 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Watch Episode 586 on YouTube →

And yes,  the partnership with All The Smoke Fight is OFFICIAL. Jon Anik and Kenny Florian are also now back on the Anik & Florian Podcast YouTube channel for the first time in four years. Subscribe. Now. Do not think about it. Let’s get into it.

🥊 CHARLES OLIVEIRA IS AN ALL-TIME GREAT AND YOU NEED TO ACCEPT THAT

Let’s start where the show started,  with the performance that had the internet absolutely DIVIDED over the weekend.

Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira dominated Max “Blessed” Holloway to win the BMF title at UFC 326, and I don’t say this lightly: the grappling clinic Oliveira put on against one of the greatest fighters on PLANET EARTH was one of the most impressive performances we have seen in years.

Here’s the thing though,  a LOT of fight fans were not happy. Sixty percent of people in Anik’s estimation left that card disappointed. And while I understand the BMF belt carries a certain expectation of standing right in front of someone and swinging for the fences, you guys have to recalibrate RIGHT NOW.

Jon laid it out perfectly on the pod: Oliveira came in with a 165-pound body, former undisputed champion wrestling, elite jiu-jitsu, and a game plan that exploited exactly where Holloway was vulnerable. He didn’t just take Max down,  he used his striking to create those takedowns. Non-stop pressure. Off-balancing on the feet to get into the clinch. Then to the mat. Then CONTROL. Max Holloway, a man who has seen absolutely everything at 145 and 155 pounds, had no answer for it.

Ken Flo put it beautifully: Oliveira was layering complexity. Strikes, kicks, takedowns, elbows,  Max could never settle, could never adapt because there was too much coming at him from too many angles. And the fact that Holloway was not submitted? Kenny said it right,  most fighters in the world get finished by that pressure. Max deserves tremendous credit in defeat.

Was it the bloodbath some expected for a BMF fight? No. But goddamn if “Charles Oliveira is a first-ballot all-time great” wasn’t the only sentence that mattered at the final bell.

Kenny Florian and Jon Anik believe Charles Oliveira’s performance was dominant and surgical—despite the narrative that it was “boring” for a BMF fight 🗣️

Respect to both legends for leaving it all in the cage 🫡

Watch the full episode on the @AnikFlorianPod YouTube! pic.twitter.com/btle8Y9HqV

— Anik & Florian Podcast (@AnikFlorianPod) March 9, 2026

🥊 MALKI KAWA DIDN’T SLEEP FOR 30 HOURS AND DELIVERED US ILIA vs. GAETHJE

This is where Episode 586 went from great to MUST-WATCH television.

Malki Kawa, founder and CEO of First Round Management,  and also the man apparently running NFL free agency AND MMA negotiations simultaneously while recovering from a heart ablation procedure,  joined the show to tell the full story behind how Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje came together for UFC Freedom 250 on June 14th at the White House lawn.

I want you to understand the timeline here. Malki had a heart procedure on Thursday. He’s sleeping Friday afternoon thinking the fight is dead. Then at midnight Friday night, his brother blows up his phone. From 12 AM straight through to nearly 11:30 AM Saturday morning,  no sleep, bouncing back and forth between calls with Ilia and calls with Hunter (UFC) for HOURS,  this man put together one of the biggest fights the sport has to offer.

The kicker? They actually wanted to fight Islam Makhachev first. They said yes to Islam, got a number back they couldn’t accept, and went quiet for two days. Then the midnight phone call changed everything. And the leverage? When the UFC needs something done and it’s already announcement weekend? Yeah, First Round Management walked away with a deal that made sense.

Could we actually see Ilia Topuria & Islam Makhachev meet in the Octagon!?

Malki Kawa stopped by The Anik & Florian Podcast with the latest.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube. pic.twitter.com/QFqHL5DCbU

— Anik & Florian Podcast (@AnikFlorianPod) March 9, 2026

Malki also went on the record: Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev at 170 pounds IS a fight they want. They’ve asked for it TWICE. Ilia’s stated mission is to be the first legitimate three-division champion and go down as the greatest of all time. Malki himself said the kid reminds him of Kobe and Jordan when it comes to mentality — absolute blinders on, no fear, sees no one.

Oh — and Malki’s Dirty Boxing promotion (shoutout to his ring-side announcer Jason Anik, which led to some absolutely hilarious sibling ribbing on the pod) is headed to Miami the night before UFC’s return there, AND they’re planning a Washington D.C. show the night before UFC Freedom 250. Dignitaries are apparently coming. This is not a drill. 🔥🔥🔥🔥

🚨Ilia Topuria’s manager, Malki Kawa, clears up everything about the rumors surrounding the White House card. 🇺🇸👀

He confirms that the UFC originally told Ilia he was not going to fight on the White House card. Later, they asked him last week about fighting Islam Makhachev or… pic.twitter.com/rbMdSwndLB

— MMA Pros Pick (@MMA_PROS_PICK_) March 9, 2026

🥊 RAY LONGO, THE BMF BELT DEBATE, & THE WHITE HOUSE CARD

Ray Longo joined for the Ray Longo Minute (which, as always, ran significantly longer than a minute) and did NOT hold back.

Longo’s take on the BMF situation was sharp: the UFC has been vocal all year about entertainment being paramount. They’ve had Brendan Fitzgerald and Sanko come out and say it publicly. So when you get a grappling masterclass in a belt that was literally invented for Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal,  two guys who existed to scrap,  there’s a disconnect. It doesn’t mean Oliveira did anything wrong. It means maybe the BMF belt needs a reinvention.

The consensus on the show that I found fascinating: maybe the BMF title shouldn’t be defended. Make it an annual fight. Different weight classes. Two guys who are just going to throw down. Drew Dober types. Don’t restrict it to contenders whose entire professional existence depends on winning.

As for UFC Freedom 250 — the White House Card on June 14th — there was honest, hard conversation. The card was billed as potentially the greatest in UFC history. With Islam injured, Conor not fighting, and Kayla out, it didn’t reach that ceiling. But let’s not sleep on what we ARE getting:

🥊 Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje — “Anybody sleeping on Gaethje is making a mistake,” said Malki. “You can’t measure a dog.” This is violent, dangerous, and absolutely appointment television.

🥊 Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane (Interim Heavyweight Title) — Pereira is a slight favorite at minus-130, Gane is +100. Kenny admitted he’d lean Pereira but said Gane’s jab and size make this absolutely NOT a layup. jon had zero idea who wins. That’s a great sign for us as fans.

🥊 Sean O’Malley vs. Aeimann Zahabi — Look, there was a legitimate conversation on this pod about whether this was the time to FORCE the Cory Sandhagen fight. Five years. That’s how long fans have wanted it. Zahabi has a winning streak and earned his spot. But if that’s Sean avoiding the hardest possible test on the biggest possible stage… that’s worth noting.

🥊 Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus — Nickal is minus-278. But Kenny made an excellent point: Daukaus is tall, long, good on the ground, good knees, and may present some of the same problems Rainier de Ridder gave Bo not long ago. Don’t sleep on Kyle.

🥊 RAUL ROSAS JR. IS 21 YEARS OLD AND I’M TERRIFIED FOR THE BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION

WHAT ARE WE WATCHING WITH THIS KID?!

Raul Rosas Jr. beat Rob Font at UFC 326 and made it look like a day at the office. Rob Font is an EXPERIENCED, SKILLED, GROWN MAN. He had nothing.

Ray Longo said it perfectly: “He’s taking no damage. He’s twenty-one. By the time he’s twenty-six, twenty-seven and he’s healthy as an ox… he’s still just getting started.”

Jon Anik raised the question of whether Rosas could threaten Jon Jones’s record as the youngest divisional champion in UFC history. Dean Thomas,  who joined later in the show,  backed it up, pointing to the evolution Rosas has shown: reaching out to John Crouch as his chief corner, training with Cobrinha (one of the greatest jiu-jitsu champions alive), and developing a genuine respect for the game that his 19-year-old self did not have.

One loss to Christian Rodriguez. Five straight wins since. Coming for EVERYONE at bantamweight. I don’t say this lightly, Raul Rosas Jr. is a legitimate star in the making.

🥊 QUICK HITTERS

🥊 Caio Borralho over Reinier de Ridder in the co-main was a STATEMENT. Jon called him a “fighting nerd” who drops the word “consequently” in post-fight interviews,  and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. The athleticism was the difference. Kenny and Jon both think De Ridder should move to 205 permanently.

🥊 This Weekend: Kevin Vallejos vs. Josh Emmett, a UFC main event featuring a 17-1 Argentinian phenom at minus-550 against a tough veteran in Emmett. Kenny likes Vallejos if Emmett can’t get it to the ground. This kid is electric and could be a name you’re saying all year.

🥊 FINAL WORD

Episode 586 is everything you want from The Anik & Florian Podcast,  smart, honest, passionate MMA conversation from two of the best in the business, surrounded by guests who actually know what they’re talking about. The All The Smoke Fight partnership feels RIGHT. The energy is there. The show is popping.

Subscribe to the Anik & Florian Podcast YouTube channel right now. It’s the best hour and a half of MMA content you’ll find every Monday. And if you’re not already here on Fight Bananas for the recaps,  welcome home.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO… LET’S GO! 🥊🥊🥊

Din Thomas talks Gillian Robertson vs Amanda Lemos this weekend and how it impacts the title picture pic.twitter.com/QdIYf18vsm

— Anik & Florian Podcast (@AnikFlorianPod) March 9, 2026

Follow Cody Merrow on X: @cody_merrow Live Producer — The Anik & Florian Podcast | Fight Bananas Lead Writer

Hey everyone, I wanted to address Dana White’s comments from this past weekend, because the truth matters to me and the fans.
Dana, you were heated about why I’m not on the White House card, but let’s clear something up. My team and I were actually negotiating with the UFC for…

— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) March 9, 2026